Columbus, December 25: Three teenagers have been arrested for brutally assaulting an Ohio man to death. The incident reportedly took place at around 7 pm on December 7 at a Kroger grocery store in US. The accused thrashed the 53-year-old victim, Donnie Smith till he fell unconscious, while "they laughed and enjoyed themselves". Smith was later taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

According to a report in New York Post, the three youths purportedly engaged Donnie Smith, a father of three, inside a Kroger grocery store. After security asked the suspects to depart following a confrontation with other customers within the store, the youths took the fight to the streets. US Shocker: Cab Driver Abandons Indian Origin Woman in Middle of Nowhere During Ride, Steals Her Luggage and Documents in Massachusetts (Watch Video).

One of the victim's friends who witnessed the horrific incident claimed the group was trying to pick on whoever they could. The chargesheet read that  Smith was “unconscious and bleeding from the head due to the beating” and the group was “laughing and enjoying themselves” while assaulting the Ohio father. The suspects fled the scene in a red vehicle soon after the incident. US Shocker: Georgia Teacher Threatens to Kill Student After Dispute Over Display of Israeli Flag in Classroom, Arrested.

Smith was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition but succumbed to his injuries two weeks after the attack. The police didn't disclose the methods adopted by detectives to track the three accused, but they said they arrested 18-year-old Dionta Hughes, 19-year-old Jamarion Evans-Bennett and 17-year-old Jayden Agee on murder charges.

Pictures of Hughes and Evans-Bennett were made public, while Agee's photo was withheld due to his status as a minor. The investigation related to the horrifying incident near Kroger grocery store is underway. Columbus police have asked anyone with information to contact the cops.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2023 06:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).